5 life planning tips to stay on top of things

February 20, 2019

I don’t know about you, but everyday is pretty “go go go” for me. I don’t really have time to stop and think so I need my days to be pretty organized. I’m no Monica, but I’m definitely not a Phoebe either. I’m a healthy in-between, I guess. Over the years I’ve perfected my everyday routine to limit time waste and forgetfulness.

Tip n°1: Prep the night before

I am not a morning person. I don’t have the best sleep so it means that morning can be rough. To make sure I don’t forget an essential step, my morning routine is pretty much the same every day. I wake up, do my skincare, get my lunch bag ready, cook breakfast, eat breakfast, brush my teeth and hair, get dressed, put my makeup on and get out the door.

A big time-saver for me is to prepare the night before. After my shower, I think about what outfit I’m going to wear the next day and get that out on the bed in our second bedroom where I get ready. Same for my workout clothes, I get them and put them in my gym bag the night before to make sure I don’t forget anything essential. When it comes to breakfast, I eat the same thing everyday so after after dinner I set everything ready: a saucepan, spatula, and measure; oats, cinnamon, agave nectar, chia seeds and peanut butter. It saves me so much time in the morning.

Tip n°2 : Plan your week

I’m a big believer that if something is written down or at least planned in your head, you’ll do it. I do three workouts during the week and so far, I’ve only missed a workout once, last week, because I was too tired from being sick. Because I know I have it planned, it’s part of my schedule and I know how to organize my day accordingly. For example, I know I go to a butt/ab/thigh workout on Tuesday night, so on Monday I always cook enough to have leftovers for Tuesday lunch and Wednesday lunch (we usually eat soup on those nights). I know where I’m at so I never forget to do something essential.

Tip n°3: List it down

I love lists. They are the ultimate practical way not to forget to do something. I write lists as work to know what needs to be done, I have one on my phone for grocery shopping and I have a few blogging-lists such as blogpost ideas and a “to-do” list. I link my phone and laptop so they synchronize and can tick things off as I go. Especially for blogging, it comes in so handy to tick things off from everywhere.

Tip n°4: Save it up

I have an entire blogpost on how to budget plan, but I need to mention it here. I’ve always been taught to save and spend mindfully. When I started having to deal with money I automatically started saving money. Oh don’t let it fool you, I still treat myself (hello Sephora and H&M), it’s actually part of how I budget. I make sure each month to save a certain amount of money and to allocate some for treats. You can read the entire post to learn more about it.

Tip n°5: Plan time off

You’re only human! If I don’t get some time off at night and at the weekend, I’ll very quickly start to burn off. I need some time to watch Friends, you guys. When I started working back in November, I knew it would be essential for me to actually schedule my time off. Working on my blog and social media at the same time as working nearly 40-hour weeks mean I find it difficult to switch off. So I decided I would stop working on my blog after 9p.m. (if possible), and after 3p.m. on Sundays. There, it’s written down so I have to do it.